


Like a work of art

by zach_stone



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ashley as a perfect wingwoman, Climbing Class, M/M, Pining, Pre-Canon, Secret Crush, either one works but this is pre-prank either way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 10:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5087821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zach_stone/pseuds/zach_stone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris is not, however, expecting Josh to say, “You know what, I’ll do that naked model thing.”</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>When Josh offers to be a model for Ashley and Jessica's life drawing class, Chris (who has been harboring a secret crush on Josh for years now) decides that he just might join the class, too. A ridiculously excessive fluffy climbing class fic featuring wingwoman of the year, Ashley.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a work of art

**Author's Note:**

> i was supposed to be doing my homework but instead i wrote 3k words of climbing class wtf

It’s an unseasonably warm autumn day, which means the college campus is humming with people even more than usual; students lounge on the grass and toss frisbees back and forth. Chris watches idly as some kid tries to juggle across the way from the table where he and his friends sit. Josh is on his other side, in some apparently heated debate with Sam about the pros and cons of extreme backpacking (according to Josh, the pros are nonexistent). Mike is sitting across from them, watching with a slightly amused expression. Hannah is sitting extremely close to Mike, something that’s only happening because Emily doesn’t have a free period. Chris lets out a quiet snort of laughter when the guy he’s been watching drops all his juggling balls on the ground.

“Hey guys!” says a voice, and they all look up to see Ashley and Jessica walking over to them. “Sorry we took so long,” Ashley says, dropping heavily into the seat beside Sam and shaking her head. “Professor Anderson kept us late again.”

“The man’s an artistic visionary, but he doesn’t know when to stop talking,” Jess agrees, sidling up on Mike’s other side. Chris tries not to roll his eyes. Hannah looks a little bit like she wants to rip Jess’s coy smile right off her head.

“I think it’s so awesome that you guys are taking a life drawing class,” Sam says. “Can I see your sketchbook?”

“Yeah, totally,” Ashley says, pulling it out of her bag and sliding it over. “Don’t judge too hard, though, okay?” She tugs nervously on a strand of hair as Sam flips through, Josh and Chris leaning over to look as well.

“Wow, Ash, these are like… really good,” Chris says, admiring the sketches of figures in all sorts of action poses. Ashley looks bashful.

“Thanks, Chris,” she says.

“You know,” Jess says. “When Anderson was talking our ears off, he mentioned something about looking for volunteers to model for the class.”

“You should do it,” Mike says. “You already look like a model.”

Jess grins. “You’re sweet, but I can’t. It has to be someone outside of the class.”

“Maybe _I’ll_ do it, then,” Mike says. “Think I could pull it off?”

“Considering it’s a nude model, I think you’ll have to pull _everything_ off,” Jess says. Sam makes a fake gagging sound at the dumb innuendos, and Chris and Josh laugh.

“I’ll think about it,” Mike says.

“Can anyone sign up to take that class?” Hannah says, a little too eagerly. Chris resists the urge to groan, feeling embarrassment on Hannah’s behalf. He sees Ashley looking at her with pity.

“Yeah, we’ve still got some spots open,” she says. Jess is giving Hannah a squinty look, and from across the table Josh shifts. Chris can practically feel the protective older brother vibes radiating off him.

He is not, however, expecting Josh to say, “You know what, I’ll do that naked model thing.”

Chris chokes on his own spit, making a gross hacking sound as Sam slaps him on the back. “You’re what?” he finally wheezes. Josh gives him an amused look.

“I’m gonna model for their class. Might as well, you know? Even if I’m not so sure the world is ready to see this fine bod.” He runs a hand across his chest mock-seductively, and Chris’s eyes widen slightly before he jerks his head away, elbowing Josh and laughing along with the rest of the group.

Shortly after, Mike has to go to class, saluting them all before walking off. Sam and Jess head out soon after, and Josh suddenly remembers that he has an assignment due in an hour, so he sprints off to his dorm to finish (and start) it. Hannah, who has been looking mopey ever since Mike left, mumbles something about meeting Beth for lunch before she too leaves them. When it’s just Chris and Ashley left at the table, he can feel her watching him with a knowing expression.

“What?” he says.

“Pretty cool of Josh to want to model for my class, huh?” she says innocently. His ears go red.

“I guess,” he mutters. She grins.

“That was a spectacularly smooth reaction you had there,” she says. “Josh will _never_ know you like him if you asphyxiate on your own drool.”

“ _Stop_ ,” Chris whines. He puts his head in his hands. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Probably only because I already know,” she concedes. “Although if you don’t watch out you’re gonna get as bad as Hannah. Sometimes I just wanna shake her, you know? She’s only going to get herself hurt.”

“Which is exactly why I am never, _ever_ telling Josh anything,” Chris says pointedly. Ashley rolls her eyes.

“Chriiiiis,” she says, poking him in the arm. “It’s different! Mike’s already dating someone, plus he’s kind of a sleazeball. Don’t tell him I said that. But Josh, he’s single, he’s your best friend, and he’s way more trustworthy than Mike. I think you should go for it.”

“Are you kidding me? No way. My number one rule is to never tell someone I like them. Ever.”

Ashley smacks Chris in the head with her sketchbook, causing him to yelp in pain. “You’re the worst!” she says.

“Why are you hitting me?” Chris grumbles, rubbing his head. “I’m a pitiful lovelorn child. You should be comforting me and buying me lunch.”

“...are you asking me to buy you lunch, Christopher?” Ashley says, squinting at him.

“Considering you just gave me a mild concussion, I think that’s only fair,” he says. “Plus, I left my wallet _all the way_ back at my dorm.”

Ashley shakes her head. “You’re hopeless. Tell you what. I’ll buy you lunch if you sign up for my life drawing class.”

“Why, so I can see Josh naked?” Chris says, face burning even as he tries to act dismissive. “I’ve seen him naked before.”

“First of all, accidentally walking in on someone changing is very different from studying them for hours in a studio,” Ashley says. “And second of all, you know you were going to ask me for the class number anyway, so quit with your lies.”

She’s hit the nail on the head, and Chris honestly can’t think of an argument, so he admits defeat, hunching his shoulders. “Okay, okay, fine. Now can we please go to McDonald’s so I can drown my shame in a milkshake?”

Ashley just smirks. “You’ll thank me for this one day,” she says.

******

_Thank Ashley? Yeah fuckin’ right_ , Chris thinks to himself the next week. He’s signed up for the drawing class, and has already been to one session with a random model. He’s definitely got some catching up to do with techniques they’ve learned, but it’s early enough in the semester that it isn’t too much of a struggle. That first session was actually pretty fun. The teacher had put on some quiet ambient music while they worked, and Chris really loved drawing the sweeping lines of the model’s pose. Plus, it was cool sitting in the loft room with Ashley and Jess, occasionally whispering but mostly just working in friendly silence.

Today, though, Chris is sweating buckets and fidgeting like crazy. Today, Josh is going to be the model. The teacher introduces him to the class, and Josh gives a cocky grin and a wave as he scans the room. He’s wearing a bathrobe right now, but Chris knows that’ll be gone in a moment. Josh catches his eye and gives him an exaggerated wink. Chris almost falls off his stool.

To his right, Ashley snorts. Chris shoots her a glare before looking back to Josh and oh, fuck it all, he’s fucking naked. Josh is sitting on the chaise in the center of the room, one leg bent, his arm resting on his knee and the other one up by his head. It’s a great pose, lots of angles and curves, but right now all Chris can focus on his the way his hands are sweating and the way he can see Josh’s collarbone.

Everyone has already begun sketching, and Chris shakes himself a little and draws a few light outlines. He glances over at Ashley, who has already sunk into artist mode and doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by the fact that it’s Josh up there. Jess is also deep into her work, looking at Josh with a furrowed brow, head tilted slightly as she draws. Chris takes a calming breath and takes another long look at Josh.

His friend is honestly, truly beautiful. Chris thought that before this moment, of course, but he’s never seen Josh look so… powerful. Regal, even. He looks calm and serious, and the curves of his lips and his forehead and his back make Chris feel a little weak. Thank god he’s sitting down. He turns back to the paper and tries to get into the mindset he’d been in last week, when he’d just let himself get wrapped up in the process of drawing.

Ashley’s right; studying Josh for the two hours that they’re drawing makes Chris see him in a whole new way. He comes to appreciate every muscle on Josh’s back, every sharp angle of his jaw, every soft curve of his stomach. When the time is up, Chris feels like he’s been shaken from a daze. Professor Anderson comes over to Josh and hands him the robe again, and Josh stretches stiffly and puts it back on. Everyone packs up as the professor reminds them of their homework. Josh wanders over to where Ashley, Jess, and Chris are gathering their things.

“How’d I do?” he asks, looking a little nervous.

“You were wonderful!” Ashley says, and Josh grins.

“You’re so fun to draw,” Jess agrees. “You’ve got a good body.”

“I told you, I’m a stud,” Josh jokes. “Really though, can I see what you guys drew?”

“Sure,” Ashley says, holding up her sketchbook. Josh’s eyes go wide.

“Wow, you did great,” he says. “You made me look really hot.”

Jess shows her drawing, and Josh notes that she really emphasized his butt. “You were workin’ it,” she says, and he chuckles.

Josh looks to Chris. “Well? Lemme see, Cochise.”

“Uh…” Chris clutches his sketchbook to his chest. “I’m not finished.”

“It’s cool, just show me what you have,” Josh says with a shrug. Chris shakes his head almost frantically.

“Not yet. I want you to see it when it’s done.”

Josh cocks his head to the side, but then he says, “Well… okay, if you insist. I’m gonna go get some clothes on, I’ll meet you guys at our usual table in a few.”

“Okay!” Chris says, too eagerly. Josh gives him a weird look, but doesn’t say anything else as he walks away. Ashley and Jess are also giving Chris weird looks, which he thinks is a little unfair, really.

“Are you okay, Chris?” Jess asks. “You’re acting a little… nutty. Nuttier than usual.”

“I’m fine,” he huffs, cramming his sketchbook into his bag. “Let’s go, the group’s probably waiting for us already.”

Ashley’s burning a hole in the back of his head with the look she’s giving him, but he’s pointedly ignoring it. He _really_ doesn’t want Jess to get suspicious of anything. If she found out, he’d be screwed -- she’s the biggest gossip of the whole group.

After school, Chris is sitting in his dorm reading an article on robots when his phone buzzes. It’s from Ashley. He sighs, already dreading whatever she’s going to say.

 

> _**Ash:** so mr. mysterious artist man, why wouldn’t you show josh your drawing??_
> 
> _**Chris:** i said it wasn’t done yet_
> 
> _**Ash:** oh, you were being serious?_
> 
> _**Chris:** yes!! jeez._
> 
> _**Ash:** you seemed very flustered. jess was asking me about it._
> 
> _**Chris:** aw crap. what did you say_
> 
> _**Ash:** relax, i didn’t say anything. i wouldn’t betray your trust like that._
> 
> _**Ash:** that said, can you PLEASE just tell josh already???_
> 
> _**Chris:** if you MUST know, i am planning on telling him. when i finish my drawing._
> 
> _**Ash:** for real!?!?_
> 
> _**Chris:** for real_
> 
> _**Ash:** YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Chris rolls his eyes at the excessive exclamation points, but if he’s being totally honest, he’s happy that she’s happy for him. He just hopes he doesn’t chicken out now. He pulls his sketchbook out of his bag and flips open to his drawing of Josh. The actual figure of Josh looks pretty decent, but Chris wants to add some things to it. He thinks about the way Josh had looked so regal, so breathtaking. He starts to sketch tall, majestic trees around Josh, the kind of trees that are all around the lodge on Mt. Washington. He continues to add little details, until it looks like Josh is sitting on a throne of sorts in the middle of a forest. Chris isn’t as great an artist as Ashley or Jess, but he’s actually really proud of this. It captures that powerful, quiet beauty that had simply radiated from Josh in the loft. He swallows hard, noticing the slight shakiness of his lines around Josh’s lower abdomen and hips. Is he really going to show this drawing to Josh, and tell him how he’s felt for the past two years? He’s already told Ashley he will, so he can’t exactly back out now. Still, the thought of Josh reacting badly, even hating him, makes Chris want to throw up and then light his drawing on fire.

But he can’t do that, because he needs the drawing for a grade.

He texts Josh asking if he wants to meet for breakfast tomorrow, and Josh responds with a bunch of thumbs up emoji. Chris smiles fondly at his phone screen. He can totally do this. It’s just Josh.

******

“Just” Josh is looking way too attractive for nine in the morning. He’s sitting at a table at the little bagel shop on campus when Chris walks in, and he’s wearing a sweater and jeans and a beanie and he looks so fucking _cute_ , what the hell. Chris wills himself not to blush and grips his sketchbook tighter in his hands, making his way over to Josh.

“Morning, bro,” Josh says with a smile. “Whatcha got there?”

“Um, my sketchbook from life drawing,” Chris says nervously. Josh’s face lights up.

“Are you gonna show me your drawing of me?” he asks eagerly. Chris nods.

“Yeah, it’s done,” he says. He sets the book on the table and toys with the front cover, too nervous to open it. Josh is getting antsy.

“C’mon, open it,” he says. When Chris still hesitates, Josh frowns. “What’s up, dude? Did you make me really ugly or something?”

_Not possible_ , Chris thinks. “No, sorry, I’m just… nervous.”

“Why?” Josh asks. “It’s me, man. I’m not gonna judge you. I can’t draw for shit. I bet it’s amazing.”

Chris takes a deep breath and flips open to the page, shoving it towards Josh and then staring determinedly at the tabletop. Josh pulls the notebook towards himself and flips it the right way up, leaning in to look at the drawing. Chris hears his intake of breath, and he chances a glance up. Josh is running a gentle finger along the page, taking in the forest and his own figure. His lips are parted, and a crooked half-smile is starting to form on his face.

“Chris…” he says softly. “This is… wow. This is truly beautiful work.”

“You think so?” Chris says, fidgeting.

“Dude, yes. You made me look so…” He pauses, shaking his head like he can’t find the words. “You made _me_ look beautiful.”

“You are,” Chris mumbles. Josh looks up at him. Chris feels like a deer caught in the fucking headlights of an oncoming semi-truck. He knows he’s red as a tomato right about now.

“What?” Josh says.

“I, uh…” Ah, fuck it. No going back now. “I’m just saying, I didn’t do anything. That’s really what you look like to me, Josh. You look beautiful.”

Is he crazy, or is Josh blushing now, too? Why would Josh blush? When Jess and Ashley complimented him yesterday, he’d seemed smug and confident. So why is he looking so shy and nervous now?

“Chris, I don’t know what to say,” he says. “This is… this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You… I…” He shakes his head again. “Fuck, I’m a little over my head here.”

“What do you mean?” Chris says, feeling like the air around them has become very still. Josh meets his gaze, and he looks both earnest and… scared?

“I don’t know what you meant by this, but…” Josh exhales slowly. “It doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of thing you do for a platonic friendship.”

Chris feels like he’s been punctured. Great, Josh figured it out, and now he’s totally creeped out and uncomfortable and he probably hates Chris’s guts and this is _exactly_ why he told Ashley he was never going to tell Josh about this. Damn it, Ashley.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I can go.” He reaches over to take his sketchbook back, but Josh stills his hand, grabbing him by the wrist. He looks up, confused.

“Chris, no,” Josh says. “Why would you apologize?”

“Because I drew you a romantic drawing?” Chris says. “Because I’ve got a huge crush on you and it’s probably really creepy?”

Josh’s eyes soften, and he smiles. His grip on Chris’s wrist shifts and whoa, he’s holding Chris’s hand now. What the actual fuck is going on? This is so not what he expected to go down.

“Chris,” Josh says, and there’s a tenderness in his voice now. “Cochise, buddy. You think I’m creeped out?”

“Um, I did until you just said that,” Chris admits.

“I’m the exact opposite of creeped out,” Josh says. “In fact, I kind of want to get up and do a jig.”

“That might turn some heads,” Chris jokes. His head is spinning, and there’s a bubbling sense of hope and excitement in his stomach with the way Josh is looking at him.

“You’ve got a point,” Josh says, leaning over the table a little more. Instinctively, Chris follows suit, and now their faces are very close together. “I guess this will have to do.” And then Josh closes the distance between them and kisses Chris.

When they pull apart, Chris must have the most ridiculously surprised look on his face, because Josh cackles. Chris blinks stupidly at him for a moment. “Did… did that really just happen?” he says.

“It really did,” Josh says, and he looks so fucking smug. A smile comes over Chris’s face.

“So I take it you like the drawing,” he says. Josh laughs again.

“Excellent wooing material,” he says with a nod. “I very much approve of your methods. Actually, I think I want to frame this on my wall.”

“As much as I would love that, unfortunately I have to turn this in tomorrow,” Chris says, pulling the book back towards himself. “Sorry.”

“S’all good.” Josh has that look on his face, that one that means trouble. It makes Chris feel all giddy and warm. “I guess I’ll just have to model for you some more.”

Chris’s eyes bug out of his head. “Whoa,” he says. “Um. That’s, uh. Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

Josh stands up. “What do you say we get those bagels to go, huh? My roommate’s not home and I have a very strong desire to make out with you.”

Chris stands up so fast he almost trips over his own feet. Ignoring the smirk on Josh’s face, he says, “Let’s go. I think I’m liking this whole ‘you being my muse’ plan.”

“And I am liking this whole ‘me getting to give you a hickey’ plan.”

Chris turns red. “When was that a plan?”

“Right now. C’mon, Cochise. Time’s a-wastin’.” He grabs Chris’s hand. Chris smiles, and thinks to himself that yeah, okay, he’s _definitely_ going to have to thank Ashley later.

 


End file.
